Method for the surface treatment of a semiconductor substrate

ABSTRACT

A method for application of an anti-wetting coating to a substrate of a semiconductor material is described. The method includes applying to a support a solution of a hydrocarbon comprising at least one unsaturated bond and, optionally, at least one hetero-atom for obtaining a layer of hydrocarbons. The method also includes treating at least one surface of the substrate of the semiconductor material with an acid. The layer of hydrocarbons is transferred from the support to the surface of the substrate of the semiconductor material. The layer of hydrocarbons is chemically coupled with the surface of the substrate of the semiconductor material. The method may be applied to an integrated ink jet printhead provided with a nozzle plate in which the nozzle plate serves as the substrate of the semiconductor material.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims the priority benefit of Italian PatentApplication No. TO2014A001089, filed on Dec. 22, 2014, the contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety to themaximum extent allowable by law.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method for surface treatment of asubstrate of semiconductor material, in particular of a nozzle plate forink jet printers and, more specifically, to a method for application ofan anti-wetting coating that is chemically stable and confined on thesurface of said nozzles.

BACKGROUND

In numerous applications, it is necessary to apply a water-repellentand/or oil-repellent coating on surfaces exposed to liquids. In the caseof ink jet printheads, for example, it is necessary to apply ananti-wetting coating (AWC) on the printhead nozzle plate to preventformation of residue of ink during and after ink-jet printing. In fact,the accumulation of residue around the orifice of the nozzle from whichthe drops of ink are expelled may cause an alteration of the directionof the drop, thus causing degradation of the quality of the printedimages.

The anti-wetting treatment must further be applied only outside theorifice of the nozzles in order to prevent the printing resolution frombeing affected and must be chemically stable if it is put in contactwith acidic or basic solutions, like many water-based inks, which woulddestroy the AWC in a short time.

Anti-wetting treatment of surfaces such as silicon, glass, or otherinorganic or organic substrates may be obtained by depositing ananti-wetting polymeric layer by lamination, spin coating, or chemicalvapor deposition (CVD).

The above treatments may offer good surface properties and excellentchemical stability, but are frequently unstable and may undergodelamination from the substrate when they are put in contact with theliquids. This phenomenon is due to the weak interaction of a physicaltype that binds together the deposited layer and the substrate. Thesephysical interactions are in general due to hydrogen bonds or Van derWaals forces. Furthermore, the deposition techniques may causeapplication of the anti-wetting coating also within the orifice of thenozzle, thus causing alteration of the printing process.

Alternatively, an anti-wetting treatment may be obtained through acoating of a chemical type by creation of chemical bonds, which arestronger than physical bonds. Typically, this coating is obtained usingmolecules such as alkyl silanes or perfluoroalkyl silanes,chlorosilanes, or alkoxy silanes.

On the silicon surfaces, for example, alkyl silanes form a uniformmonolayer (with a thickness ranging from a few angstrom to hundreds ofnanometers) chemically bound to the silicon surface through an Si—O—Sibond.

The above coatings are not subject to delamination and enable thedesired surface properties to be obtained through an appropriate choiceof the alkyl tail. This type of coating is, however, known to beunstable when exposed to aqueous environments, as is the case of manywater-based inks In particular, the Si—O—Si anchoring bonds are unstablein aqueous environments, above all, if the pH is not neutral.

SUMMARY

One aim as described herein is to provide a method for application of ananti-wetting coating that will be free from the known disadvantages, inparticular, and will not undergo physical and/or chemical degradationover time, including when it is put in contact with acid or basicaqueous solutions, and will enable application of the describedanti-wetting coating to confined areas, such as the nozzle plate for anink-jet printer.

A method described herein includes a method for application of ananti-wetting coating to a substrate of a semiconductor material. Anintegrated ink jet printhead is also described. The integrated ink jetprinthead may comprise a body of semiconductor material housing an inkchamber, an inlet channel, an outlet channel, and a nozzle plate whichextends over the body, in which the nozzle plate is constituted by asupport of the semiconductor material covered with an anti-wettingcoating provided as described herein.

In an embodiment, a method for application of an anti-wetting coating toa substrate of a semiconductor material comprises the steps of: applyingto a support a solution of a hydrocarbon comprising at least oneunsaturated bond and, optionally, at least one hetero-atom, forobtaining a layer of hydrocarbons on the support; treating at least onesurface of the substrate of the semiconductor material with an acid;transferring said layer of hydrocarbons from said support to said atleast one surface of said substrate of the semiconductor material; andchemically coupling said layer of hydrocarbons to said at least onesurface of said substrate of the semiconductor material, the layer ofhydrocarbons when chemically coupled forming the anti-wetting coating.

In an embodiment, an integrated ink jet printhead comprises: a bodyhousing an ink chamber; an inlet channel; an outlet channel; and anozzle plate extending over at least a portion of the body, the nozzleplate having a surface comprising a semiconductor material covered withan anti-wetting coating, the anti-wetting coating provided as amonolayer of hydrocarbons having an inclined and orderly orientation,the monolayer of hydrocarbons comprising unsaturated hydrocarbons havinga backbone selected from one or more of alkenes and alkynes with fromeight to twenty carbon atoms, the monolayer of hydrocarbons bonded tothe semiconductor material, bonds being fixed chemically to thesemiconductor material, provided as stable Si—C bonds, the anti-wettingcoating confined to the nozzle plate without interfering with the outletchannel or electrical connections integrated to the body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing will now be described in detail with reference to thefigures in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1A-1F are schematic illustrations of one embodiment of thedescribed method;

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate the chemical reaction that occurs between thesubstrate of semiconductor material and the unsaturated hydrocarbons;

FIGS. 3A-3H are schematic illustrations of another embodiment of thedescribed method; and

FIG. 4 shows a cross-section through an ink jet printhead to which thedescribed method may be applied.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The ensuing description includes a method for application of ananti-wetting coating to a substrate of semiconductor material comprisingthe steps of: applying to a support a solution of a hydrocarboncomprising at least one unsaturated bond and, optionally, at least onehetero-atom, for obtaining an unsaturated layer of hydrocarbons;treating at least one surface of a substrate of semiconductor materialwith an acid; transferring the unsaturated layer of hydrocarbons fromthe support to the surface of the substrate of semiconductor material;and chemically coupling the unsaturated layer of hydrocarbons to thesurface of the substrate of semiconductor material.

The present method is based on the process referred to as“hydrosilation”, which consists of causing molecules of an unsaturatedhydrocarbon (for example, a 1-alkene or a 1-alkyne) to react with asilicon surface, exposing hydrogen atoms. In particular, with the methoddescribed it is possible to create a monolayer of hydrocarbons, themonolayer characterized by a strong Si—C bond between carbon atoms inthe monolayer and silicon atoms on the surface of a semiconductorsubstrate. The monolayer thus obtained is densely packed, withhydrocarbon chains in orientations that are inclined and orderly withrespect to the surface of the substrate. The monolayer preventsoxidation of the substrate and is stable to acid and basic solvents. Themonolayer is an anti-wetting monolayer.

The present method further enables application in a confined way of theanti-wetting monolayer having appropriate chemical stability. Forexample, in the case of application to an ink jet printhead, unlike themethods known in the art, the present method enables confinement of theapplication of the anti-wetting layer only at the orifices of thenozzles without involving the openings through which the ink isexpelled. It is further possible to apply the anti-wetting monolayer asa coating only on specific portions of the semiconductor substrate,leaving intact other portions that are designed for positioning ofelectrical contacts.

Finally, the present method enables a simple adaptability to massproduction using roll-to-roll techniques.

For example, the substrate of semiconductor material is a siliconsubstrate and may present openings arranged according to a pattern. Inparticular, the substrate of semiconductor material may be a nozzleplate for ink jet printing, as described with reference to FIG. 4.

The hydrocarbon comprising at least one unsaturated bond is chosen fromthe group comprising alkenes and alkynes and mixtures thereof. Inparticular, the hydrocarbon may contain from eight to twenty carbonatoms. For example, the unsaturated hydrocarbon may be chosen from thegroup constituted by 1-alkenes, 1-alkynes, and various mixtures thereof.In some embodiments, each hydrocarbon in the alkene solution, or in thealkyne solution or in the solution mixture containing the alkenes andthe alkynes are the same length (same number of carbon atoms).Hydrocarbons in the alkene solution, or in the alkyne solution, or inthe solution mixture (comprising alkenes and alkynes) may also differ inchain length. The hydrocarbon may be provided as a monomer, dimer,trimer, or as a polymer. The hydrocarbon as a monomer, dimer, trimer, orpolymer is often provided as an alkene or an alkyne containing fromeight to twenty carbon atoms in which the alkene or alkyne has the samecarbon chain length.

The hydrocarbon may further be functionalized to bestow desired chemicalproperties on the surface where it is applied. Functional groups chosento impart said surface property may be selected from known functionalgroups, including but not limited to hydrophobic functional groups(terminations providing a hydrophobic interaction, or functional groupshaving a terminating hydrogen). Representative examples include alkylgroups, perfluoro alkyl groups. There is no apparent size limitation forthe functional group.

The step of chemical coupling may be conducted by heating or UVirradiation.

In the case where the step of chemical coupling is carried out byheating, the temperature is between 100° C. and 200° C., in particularbetween 150° C. and 200° C. For example, heating may be carried out in atime interval comprised between 1 and 2 hours.

Alternatively, the step of chemical coupling may be carried out using UVirradiation at a wavelength ranging from 254 to 300 nm, with irradiationtimes ranging from 200 to 15000 seconds.

The present method will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1A-1F,which show steps according to an embodiment of the described method.

In FIG. 1A, a support 1, such as a flexible planar support, is immersedin a container 2 comprising a solution of an unsaturated hydrocarbon 3,for example a 1-alkene solution for a time ranging from 10 minutes to 6hours. The support 1 may be, for example, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS),polytetrafluoro ethylene (PTFE), or fluorinated polymers (which areparticularly suitable when a mould transparent to UV is necessary), suchas those based upon polyfluoropolyether (PFPE), ethylenetetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) and PTFE (e.g., Teflon®, registered with TheChemours Company FC, Delaware, USA), or acrylated polyurethanes. Ingeneral, the support 1 must be of a material that enables flexibilitythereof so that it will be able to adapt to any roughness present on thesurfaces with which it will be put in contact during execution of thepresent method. For example, the material of which the support 1 is madeis a polymeric material and has a Young's modulus comprised between 100kPa and 5 GPa. Furthermore, said material must guarantee a sufficientadsorption of the solution of the hydrocarbon 3, remaining unaltered inits structure and in its mechanical, physical, and chemicalcharacteristics. It may finally be reused for a number of prints.

The support 1 thus obtained (FIG. 1B) has a layer of hydrocarbon 3 thatmust be transferred onto a substrate 4 (FIG. 1C). The substrate 4 (FIG.1C) is a semiconductor material, for example, silicon, having a surface5 previously treated with an acid, for example hydrofluoric acid (HF),ammonium fluoride, or a mixture thereof.

In FIG. 1C, the substrate 4 is a body provided with a chamber 7 forhousing a liquid and openings 8, which are arranged according to a firstpattern and which extend between the surface 5 and the chamber 7 forenabling exit of the liquid from the chamber 7.

The support 1 is then put in contact with the first surface 5 of thesubstrate 4, as shown in FIG. 1D, for partially transferring the layerof hydrocarbon 3 onto the surface 5 of the substrate 4. The transferstep may have a duration comprised between 2 seconds and 1 minute.

In this way, transfer of the layer of hydrocarbon 3 occurs in a wayconfined exclusively to points of contact between the support 1 and thesurface 5 of the substrate 4, without involving the openings 8 or thechamber 7. The structure of FIG. 1E is thus obtained, where present onthe surface 5 of the substrate 4 is an anti-wetting layer 13 formed bythe material of the layer of hydrocarbon 3.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 1F, the anti-wetting layer 13 is fixed,i.e., chemically associated, to the surface 5 of the substrate 4, forexample, by heating at 200° C. for 2 hours.

The chemical reaction that takes place between the substrate 4 and theanti-wetting layer 13 is given in FIGS. 2A-2C.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2C, initially, the substrate 4 has apassivation layer 6 (for example, SiO₂) on the surface 5. The treatment,for instance with hydrofluoric acid, as described above with referenceto FIG. 1C, has the purpose of removing the passivation layer 6 andforming a silicon layer 12 that exposes hydrogen atoms (see FIG. 2B).The layer of hydrocarbon 3 is then transferred onto the layer 12.Subsequent heating causes the hydrocarbon 3 to be firmly fixed to thesubstrate 4 by stable Si—C chemical bonds, thus forming the anti-wettinglayer 13.

In another embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3H, for transferring thelayer of hydrocarbon 3 from the support 1 to the surface 5 of thesubstrate 4, a mold 9 is used (FIG. 3C). The mold 9, which is, forexample, of PDMS or PTFE, has a surface 11 that presents cavities 10arranged according to a second pattern identical to that of the openings8 on the surface 5 of the substrate 4. The cavities 10 are furthercongruent to the openings 8 present on the surface 5 of the substrate 4.

Here, initially, as illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3B, the layer of hydrocarbon3 is deposited on the support 1, as has been described with reference toFIGS. 1A-1B. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 3D, the surface 11 of the mold9 is put in contact with the layer of hydrocarbon 3 on the support 1,for example for a time ranging from 2 seconds to 1 minute, fortransferring part of the layer of hydrocarbon 3 onto the surface 11 ofthe flexible mold 9, to form a transfer layer 23, of the same materialas the layer of hydrocarbon 3 (FIG. 3E).

The transfer layer 23 present on the surface 11 of the mold 9 is thenput in contact with the surface 5 of the substrate 4, for example for atime ranging from 2 seconds to 1 minute, in such a way that the openings8 are aligned with the cavities 10 (FIG. 3F).

In this way, the transfer layer 23 is transferred onto the surface 5 ofthe substrate 4 precisely and in a confined way, without any risk ofpart of the molecules of hydrocarbon 3 penetrating into the openings 8or into the chamber 7.

The mold 9 may further be used also for transferring the layer ofhydrocarbon 3 onto a support 4 without the openings 8. Alternatively, amold 9 without the cavities 10 may be used for transferring the layer ofhydrocarbon 3 both onto a support 4 without openings 8 and onto asupport that presents such openings.

Likewise, with reference to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1F,the support 1 may be provided with cavities similar to the cavities 10of the mold 9 for application of the hydrocarbon 3 in discrete areas ofthe substrate 4, which may also be without the openings 8.

An example of application of the present method is creation of achemically stable anti-wetting layer confined on the nozzle plate of anink jet printhead, shown schematically in FIG. 4. Here the printhead,designated as a whole by 50, comprises a body 51, for example of siliconor glass, housing a chamber 52 similar to the chamber 7 of FIGS. 1C and3F. A nozzle plate 55 extends over the body 51 and has at least onenozzle 56, similar to the openings 8 of FIGS. 1C and 3F. Alternatively,the nozzle plate 55 may comprise a plurality of nozzles 56 (not shown),each connected to a different chamber 52. The chamber 52 is connected toan external reservoir 60 through an inlet channel 61 and with the nozzle56 through an outlet channel 62. A membrane 65 extends on one side ofthe chamber 52 in order to push the liquid contained in the chamber 52towards the nozzle 56. Valves (not shown) enable the desired movement ofthe liquid, here an ink.

The top surface of the nozzle plate 55 has an anti-wetting layer 68,obtained with the “contact printing” method described with reference toFIG. 1A-1F or 3A-3H.

The anti-wetting layer 68 is deposited in a confined way, as describedpreviously, in such a way also to prevent covering of the contacts (ofwhich FIG. 4 shows just one, designated by 66) for electrical connectionbetween electronic components (not shown) integrated within the body 61with the outside world, via wire 67, as well as covering of all thoseparts in which the anti-wetting coating is not required.

The above method may further be used for deposition of an anti-wettinglayer on an ink-jet printhead of any type commercially available.

Further characteristics of the present method will emerge from theensuing description of some examples provided merely by way ofnon-limiting illustration.

Example 1 Preparation of an Anti-Wetting Coating on a Substrate ofSemiconductor Material

The first step of the process consists of fabrication of a PDMS support.

In detail, a prepolymeric mixture is prepared, constituted by a baseSYLGARD® 184 SILICONE ELASTOMER KIT (registered with Dow CorningCorporation, Michigan, USA) and a cross-linking agent (Dow Corning) inthe weight ratio 10:1. Degassing of the mixture in vacuum conditions isthen carried out for one hour. The mixture thus obtained is deposited ona silicon master measuring 3 cm by 3 cm. The master is previously coatedwith a layer of organosilanes for enabling subsequent detachment of thePDMS support. The mixture deposited on the master is then cross-linkedat 90° C. in an oven for one hour, and the PDMS support thus obtained isdetached from the silicon master.

The PDMS support thus obtained is immersed in a solution of 1-hexadecenechain for 12 hours under nitrogen flow.

The PDMS support is then removed from the solution of 1-hexadecene andexposed to nitrogen flow for 30 seconds in order to eliminate the excessliquid.

It is then put in contact with a silicon substrate for 30 seconds innitrogen atmosphere in order to transfer a layer of alkene exclusivelyto the contact areas of the silicone substrate.

The silicon substrate is previously prepared by immersing it in a 2% HFaqueous solution for 2 minutes, followed by rinsing in distilled waterfor 30 seconds, in order to create hydrogen terminations on the surfaceitself.

After contact between the PDMS support and the silicon substrate, aheating at 200° C. in nitrogen is carried out for 2 hours, during whichformation of the Si—C bonds occurs according to the hydrosilationreaction.

The PDMS support is then separated from the silicon substrate, which isthen washed in an appropriate organic solvent, such as mesitylene andthe like, to remove alkene that had not reacted.

Example 2 Performance of the Anti-Wetting Substrate According to Example1

A nozzle plate for ink jet printing provided according to themethodology illustrated in Example 1 is tested as to its anti-wettingcapacity.

Four identical plates (specimens 1-4) of dimensions 40 mm×12 mm are eachintroduced into a vial containing a water-based ink and cyan pigmenthaving a pH comprised between 7 and 9.

Each plate is immersed for two thirds of their surface in the ink. Thevials are then closed to prevent evaporation of the ink and set at thetemperature of 60° C. for 7 days.

Next, the plates are removed from the vials and cleaned withdemineralized water and then with 2-propanol. The plates are then dried.

The anti-wetting capacity of the plates thus obtained is evaluated bymeasuring the angle of contact of a drop of water deposited thereon. Inparticular, comparisons are made between the values of the angle ofcontact on the plate prior to application of the anti-wetting layeraccording to the method described (angle of contact prior tohydrosilation), of the angle of contact on the plate after applicationof the anti-wetting layer according to the method described (angle ofcontact after hydrosilation), and of the angle of contact on the plateafter immersion in the ink. The results obtained appear in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Angle of Angle of Angle of contact contact prior contact afterafter immersion Sample to hydrosilation hydrosilation in the ink 1 18.0± 1.3 107.3 ± 0.6 94.4 ± 2.0 2 16.2 ± 1.0  99.6 ± 1.0 95.9 ± 1.8 3 20.2± 0.6 104.4 ± 1.2 98.2 ± 2.0 4 19.3 ± 1.2 100.9 ± 0.5 92.5 ± 3.5

As may be noted, notwithstanding immersion in a particularly aggressiveink, the values of the angle of contact remain very high (90% of thevalues after hydrosilation), indicating good chemical resistance of thecoating obtained by the method described herein.

Comparison with the Silane-Based Coatings of the Known Art:

A plate from Example 2 (Sample 1) is compared with plates that had acoating obtained by silanization according to the prior art.

In particular, the following samples having prior art silanic coatingsare provided:

Sample 5: plate coated with FOTS (trichloro(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl)silane);

Sample 6: plate coated with silane Fluorolink® S10 (registered withSolvay Solexis, Inc., New Jersey, USA);

Sample 7: plate coated with PTMS (propyl trimethoxysilane).

Also in this case, the anti-wetting capacity is evaluated by measuringthe angle of contact of a drop of water deposited on the specimens. Theresults appear in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Sample 1 Sample 5 Sample 6 Sample 7 Prior to immersion in ink107.3 ± 0.6 108.7 ± 4.0 127.3 ± 2.6 103.0 ± 1.0 After immersion in ink 94.4 ± 2.0 <10 12 10.0

Also in this case, it should be noted that the anti-wetting layersobtained with the method described herein, albeit presenting an initialangle of contact comparable with that of the coatings according to theprior art, are more stable after contact with the ink.

Comparison with the coatings applied by the immersion method accordingto the known art:

Four samples obtained according to what is illustrated in Example 1 arecompared with two plates having a 1-hexadecene coating applied byimmersion of the plates in the alkene and subsequent heating (Samples 8and 9). In particular, said Samples 8 and 9 are prepared as describedbelow.

In a round-bottom flask with a capacity of approximately 100 mL, 3 mL ofpure 1-hexadecene are set to degas for approximately 1 hour in nitrogen.A silicon substrate (3 cm×1 cm) is previously immersed in a 2% (v/v)(40%) HF aqueous solution for 2 minutes and then rinsed in distilledwater for 30 seconds in order to obtain a surface with hydrogenterminations.

The silicone substrate is immersed into the flask with the 1-hexadecenesolution.

The flask is immersed in an oil bath and kept at the temperature of 200°C. for 2 hours, once again under nitrogen flow. Next, the siliconesubstrate is taken out of the solution, washed and sonicated three timesin mesitylene, and finally washed with distilled water and then driedwith nitrogen.

The anti-wetting capacity is evaluated by measuring the angle of contactof a drop of water deposited on the substrate samples. The resultsappear in Table 3.

TABLE 3 Sample Angle of contact Sample 1 102.1 ± 3.4 Sample 2 107.1 ±2.2 Sample 3 104.8 ± 1.2 Sample 4 109.9 ± 0.4 Sample 8 104.6 ± 3.8Sample 9 105.3 ± 2.1

As may be noted, the angles of contact between the samples obtained withthe present method and those where the coating was applied by immersionare comparable. However, the method described enables application of thecoating in an extremely confined way unlike the immersion method.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for application of an anti-wettingcoating to a substrate of a semiconductor material, comprising the stepsof: applying to a support a solution of a hydrocarbon comprising atleast one unsaturated bond and, optionally, at least one hetero-atom,for obtaining a layer of hydrocarbons on the support; treating at leastone surface of the substrate of the semiconductor material with an acid;transferring said layer of hydrocarbons from said support to said atleast one surface of said substrate of the semiconductor material; andchemically coupling said layer of hydrocarbons to said at least onesurface of said substrate of the semiconductor material to form theanti-wetting coating.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein saidhydrocarbon is selected from the group consisting of alkenes andalkynes.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said hydrocarboncontains from 8 to 20 carbon atoms.
 4. The method according to claim 1,wherein said hydrocarbon is selected from the group consisting of1-alkenes, 1-alkynes, and combinations thereof.
 5. The method accordingto claim 1, wherein said applying to the support the solution of thehydrocarbon comprises immersing said support in said solution of thehydrocarbon.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said support isa material having a Young's modulus comprised between 100 kPa to 5 GPa.7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said acid is selected fromthe group consisting of hydrofluoric acid, ammonium fluoride, and amixture thereof.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein thetransferring said layer of hydrocarbons includes placing said support incontact with said at least one surface of said substrate of thesemiconductor material.
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein saidsupport is a mold and the transferring said layer of hydrocarbons isperformed by using the mold.
 10. The method according to claim 1,wherein said substrate of the semiconductor material is a siliconsubstrate.
 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said substrateof the semiconductor material has first openings arranged in a firstpattern.
 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said substrate ofthe semiconductor material is a nozzle plate for ink-jet printing. 13.The method according to claim 1, wherein said substrate of thesemiconductor material has first openings arranged in a first pattern,the support being a mold having cavities arranged in a second patternidentical to said first pattern, and said transferring said layer ofhydrocarbons is carried out by aligning said openings with saidcavities.
 14. The method according to claim 1, wherein said chemicallycoupling said layer of hydrocarbons to said at least one surface iscarried out by heating to a temperature comprised between 100 and 200°C.
 15. The method according to claim 1, wherein said chemically couplingsaid layer of hydrocarbons to said at least one surface is carried outby UV irradiation.
 16. The method according to claim 1, wherein thechemically coupling said layer of hydrocarbons to said at least onesurface is carried out by heating to a temperature comprised between 100and 200° C. for 1 hour to 2 hours.
 17. The method according to claim 1,wherein the hydrocarbon is functionalized.
 18. The method according toclaim 1, wherein said chemically coupling said layer of hydrocarbons tosaid at least one surface is carried out by UV irradiation at awavelength ranging from 254 nm to 300 nm and an irradiation time rangingfrom 200 seconds to 15000 seconds.
 19. The method according to claim 1,wherein the method further comprises washing the anti-wetting coatingwith an organic solvent.
 20. The method according to claim 1, whereinthe method further comprises washing the anti-wetting coating to removeunreacted hydrocarbons.
 21. An integrated ink-jet printhead, comprising:a body housing an ink chamber; an inlet channel; an outlet channel; anda nozzle plate extending over at least a portion of the body, the nozzleplate having a surface comprising a semiconductor material covered withan anti-wetting coating, the anti-wetting coating provided as amonolayer of hydrocarbons having an inclined and orderly orientation,the monolayer of hydrocarbons comprising unsaturated hydrocarbons havinga backbone selected from one or more of alkenes and alkynes with fromeight to twenty carbon atoms, the monolayer of hydrocarbons bonded tothe semiconductor material, bonds being fixed chemically to thesemiconductor material, provided as stable Si—C bonds, the anti-wettingcoating confined to the nozzle plate without interfering with the outletchannel or electrical connections integrated to the body.